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NEWS & EVENTS >Newletters
> September 2002
What do you think Greek plays have to say to modern audiences?
I think in the last 12 months a lot has changed. People have changed.
What was fun entertainment 12 months ago, like sitcoms and violent
action and horror movies, can seem utterly inane and frivolous to
us now. To me they sometimes even feel like an irresponsible waste
of my time. I think there is an added gravity, and increased awareness
of a need for purpose and meaningful-ness in our lives. Spending
the time we have thoughtfully and with more sensitivity to others.
I think we are politically more aware of what is going on in the
world globally, and more aware of the implications of our actions.
Basic realism and naturalism don't carry enough weight for us any
more. Greek drama is bold and powerful and beautiful. It speaks
to eternal questions of family and the individual's role in society
in a direct, vivid way that is presentational but still incredibly
intimate. There's this amazing harmony and ongoing dialogue between
the public and the private, with spectacle and complex psychology,
that most modern plays completely ignore. I think today's audiences
want answers to major questions, and they want a forum in which
to explore their feelings in a public way. Theatre is a perfect
vehicle for that, and the Greeks understood that perfectly 2500
years ago.
What do you think are some popular misconceptions about Greek
drama?
Well, let's see, where do I start? I think a lot of people think
of Tragedy as long and convoluted, inaccessible, and irrelevant.
Plays telling boring stories about twisted deviant people. And,
well, some of them are… And certainly many productions are... But
The Phoenician Women is a very unusual play - some scholars have
even claimed that it's not technically a "Tragedy" at all. It's
much more sensational and spectacular.
Spectacular in what way?
It has a larger cast than most Greek plays, for one - scene after
scene, the tension and suspense build in an almost cinematic way.
There are these incredibly powerful graphic descriptions of the
battles. And Euripides adds to this a chorus of young maidens who
dance and sing and tell these fantastic stories of the ancient mythology
of Thebes.
You have chosen to modernize a lot of things about the play
with this production. Can you talk a little about the changes you've
made?
Sure. Take the Chorus, for example - they're supposed to be young
women on their way to Delphi to serve Apollo, but the designers
and I felt we needed to make these women more modern, more representative
of something we all understand now. They are meant to represent
the world outside of the conflict - but they trace their heritage
back to a common ancestor with Thebes, so they share blood with
Oedipus' family. The point is, they care deeply about the outcome
of the war because they are human beings, not because they are partisans.
They pray for peace and non-violent resolution and reconciliation.
So the modern analogy for us was Peace Corps volunteers and Red
Cross workers.
The production is in modern dress?
Oh yes. We're doing a lot of stuff to modernize the play. Modern
military uniforms, video surveillance monitors at the city's seven
gates, intercoms, PA systems, an original electronic music score.
It's really exciting.
You have decided to create your own adaptation-translation of
the play. Why?
Well, there are a few published translations of the play, and none
of them felt right to me. The most recent one that I looked at was
from about fifteen years ago. None of them felt "now" enough. A
couple of them feel very English, and I was looking for a contemporary
American feel. One of them is actually too colloquial, and I think
loses the some of the power of the original. Two of them are very
old-fashioned - I mean, with lines like "Abide! Why dost thou seek
to fly?" instead of "Wait - why are you trying to escape?" I wanted
to create a version that speaks directly to us now - for example,
the expression "a horrible act" doesn't have nearly the same power
and significance for us today as the words "an act of terror."
What do you hope audiences will take away from the production?
A feeling of increased political responsibility, a sense of the
urgency for action. I want people to walk out of the theatre deep
in conversation with their friends and families about the incredibly
important questions and issues that the play raises. It is a fascinating
story about the terrifying magnificence and fragility of the human
race.
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